This fascinating series between two of the best teams in the league is now a 'best of three'.
The Milwaukee Bucks bounced back from a 2-0 series deficit, which included a 39-point loss in Game 2, by winning both games at home including a final-second 86-83 Game 3 victory.
Below, find everything you need to know ahead of a pivotal Game 5.
Series information
Matchup: No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs No. 2 Brooklyn Nets
Series: Tied at 2-2
Where to watch
Date: Tuesday, June 15
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: TSN (Canada) and TNT
Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
What to watch
Can KD carry shorthanded Nets?
A huge part of the anticipation around this series was the star power involved. You have four All-Stars in James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo to go along with two very talented two-way stars in Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
However, four games into the series, two of three All-Stars for the Nets in Irving and Harden are injured and ruled out of Game 5.
Brooklyn seemed to be alright when Harden limped off the floor just seconds into Game 1 of this series, as they showed by taking a 2-0 series lead and coming very close to winning a competitive Game 3 but what now?
For much of the regular season, after the Harden trade, the Nets consistently played without at least one of their stars and fared pretty well. Can they produce a similar performance without two stars in a pivotal Game 5?
The Nets Big 3 are back tomorrow.
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 14, 2021
Their record since the Harden trade:
— 5-2 with the Big 3
— 14-3 with Harden & Irving
— 6-5 with Durant & Irving
— 3-0 with Harden & Durant
— 5-5 with just Irving
— 4-2 with just Harden
— 2-0 with just Durant pic.twitter.com/NNkodYSECn
Given Durant's play these playoffs, there's certainly a chance but with the defence now allowed to solely focus on him, he'll need plenty of help from the supporting cast.
Joe Harris shot 12-of-23 from the field in Games 1 & 2 but is coming off shooting 4-of-19 in the two games in Milwaukee. Game 5 will be Jeff Green's second game back after missing six straight with a strained left plantar fascia. Blake Griffin was huge for the Bucks in the first three games but recorded a plus-minus of -15 in Game 4 and didn't play the final 19 minutes of the game.
That leaves guys like Bruce Bowen, Mike James and Nicolas Claxton, who can provide sparks, but all of whom don't have a lot of playoff experience to fall back on.
Can Bucks use advantage?
Given the circumstances and the Nets' injuries, the Bucks would be favoured to grab Game 5 but they don't have a lot of great memories from their first two games in Brooklyn.
In Games 1 & 2, Milwaukee didn't play to their strengths. They shot a combined 14-of-57 from 3-point distance after ranking top 5 in 3-point makes and efficiency during the regular season. With respect to turnovers, they averaged 15 in Games 1 and 2 after averaging 13.8 in the regular season.
They allowed the Nets to drop an average of 120 points on them when they only allowed a league-second-best 101.4 in the regular season.
Milwaukee must ride the momentum of the previous two wins and find their mojo in Brooklyn as early as possible to take advantage of the Nets' ailing lineup.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.
